USF Sarasota-Manatee campus to host ‘Ukraine: One Year Later’ lecture series

The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus is co-hosting a four-part virtual speaker series, "Ukraine: One Year Later,” featuring leading experts from a variety of fields who will share insights on the geopolitical, economic and other impacts of the war in Ukraine. The series is a follow-up to last year’s series, “Ukraine: What’s Next?” which was organized shortly after Russia attacked Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

The new series will take place virtually and in-person from February-April 2023 on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. Attendees will receive briefings on the military and geopolitical outlook; the financial and economic impacts of the war; and how the conflict is affecting agriculture, cybersecurity, world trade and other areas.

The conference series is co-chaired by retired Air Force Maj. Gen. David Scott Gray and David R. Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer of Cumberland Advisors.

Part 1 of the series will take place Feb. 16-17 in the Selby Auditorium on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. On the first day, the keynote speaker will be Loretta Mester, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. After Mester’s presentation, which Kotok will moderator, there will be panel sessions on the effects of the war on monetary policy, investing and the U.S. defense budget.

Panelists will include:

• Matt McAleer, executive vice president and director of equity strategies at Cumberland Advisors
• William Kennedy, board chair at the Global Interdependence Center, and chief investment officer at RiskBridge Advisors LLC
•  Byron Callan, managing director at Capital Alpha Partners, LLC
• Bill Hoagland, former staff director of the Senate Budget Committee, and senior vice president of the Bipartisan Policy Center 
  Lisa McIntire Shaw (moderator), managing partner of Cygnus Asset Management and vice chair of programs for the Global Interdependence Center

The second day, the keynote speaker will be retired Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, former supreme allied commander for Europe, who will provide an update on the military situation in Ukraine. Gray will be the moderator. Panel discussions on the roles of the financial system and central banks during wartime will follow.

Panelists will include:

• Danielle DiMartino Booth, CEO and chief strategist at Quill Intelligence LLC
•  David Berson, chief U.S. economist at Cumberland Advisors
•  Maryanne Waldman (moderator), first vice president and financial advisor at RBC Wealth Management, and board member at the Global Interdependence Center
•  Zdenek Tuma, former governor of Czech National Bank and Global Interdependence Center College of Central Bankers fellow
•  Kathleen Stephansen, chair emeritus of the Global Interdependence Center and senior economist for Haver Analytics and Ttustee of EQAT Trust Funds

On both days, the program will run from 9 a.m. to noon and be followed by lunch.

Future sessions will focus on drones, artificial intelligence and health (March 9); reactions to the war in the stock, bond, food, oil and gas and other markets (March 23-24); and cryptocurrencies and the implications of the war in Asia (April 20-21).

“Ukraine: One Year Later” is hosted by the University of South Florida Sarasota Manatee campus, the Global Interdependence Center and the Florida West Coast Chapter of the Air and Space Forces Association.

For more information, including how to purchase tickets, click here.